Christoppher Pasatieri/Getty ImagesCam Janssen of the Devils (right) and Trevor Gillies of the Islanders fight during the third period Saturday night.

UNIONDALE, N.Y. — The first time Devils tough guy Cam Janssen and Islanders winger Trevor Gillies dropped their gloves in the second period of tonight's preseason game, linesmen Jean Morin and Tim Nowak broke up the fight almost immediately.

Both Janssen and Gillies looked disappointed.

But there was a second try at 2:52 of the third period at Nassau Coliseum resulting in a lengthy battle in which both players landed numerous punches. This time the officials let them fight until they were tired.

"That was a long skate to the penalty box. Put it that way," said Janssen, who is fighting for a spot with the Devils. "But that's how I do it. My style is throw and go and go long. It was good to get that first fight out of the way, because there are going to be plenty more."

Janssen had engaged Gillies in a conversation as they lined up for a faceoff in the first period. That was well before the Islanders started to punish the Devils in what became a 6-2 rout.

"I asked him (to fight) on our first shift," Janssen revealed. "He said, 'Let's play.' I said, 'OK, let's go play.' Then the score kind of got out of hand and I said, 'No, it's time to go.' "

Janssen gave Gillies reason to fight.

"He had to stick up for his teammate after I kind of ran him over at center ice. It was just one of those things," Janssen said. "They scored a couple goals on us and we needed to get something going. I was trying to get my team pumped up a little bit. It's just something you have to do. I like to do it.

"I was trying to get my team going. We all needed to get going. I don't think we played bad. I just don't think we played physical."

There is respect between Janssen and Gillies.

"Absolutely. We were both tagging each other. He's a tough dude," Janssen said. "He's been a tough guy for a long time. We're going to be going against each other a lot, I think. We both have to make the team. If we do, we're neighbors and it's going to be a blood bath all year.

"We both need to play, too. It's not just about me and him fighting. It's about us playing and picking the right time to do it. Policing and sticking up for our teammates. It all goes together. I think they need a guy like him and we need guys like me and Eric Boulton. They (the Isles) have three guys like us. Keep everything on an even keel."